Not On Your Life

Nelson East's phone rang....It was Beverly!!!

"Hello!" he said.

''Hi Nelson, it's Bev!" she said.

"Hey Bev, what's up?" he said.

"Nelson...maybe you were right the other night....Maybe....Maybe we just need to give each other a break for a time...This is just not working...I mean, you forgot your wallet on one day....Then your car gets towed..and then you get a flat and we miss that play you promised me...Maybe this is an omen." said Beverly.

"Bev...Bev...this was just a string of bad luck...Come on babes...We can make this work...I swear, don't do this?" Nelson pleaded..

"It's always an excuse with you...No...I think we just need a break that's all.." said Beverly...

"I can't believe you're breaking up with me over the phone." he said.

"It's better this way." she said.

"Bev...Is there someone else?" he pleaded...

"Don't torture yourself with that Nelson." she said.

"There is isn't it? That lawyer guy who was in Josies right? A few weeks ago?" he asked..

"I admit,I'm mildly attracted to him...but I'm sure he's moved on by now...I -I just need a break." said Beverly.

"Damn girl, you're cold blooded." said Nelson..

"I'm sorry Nelson." she said.

(Click)

They put the phones down and both looked at me and busted out laughing....

I shushed them and signaled for them to meet me downstairs and away from Nelson's apartment...

"Ohhh man D.R.  I felt so bad saying those words to Nelson that I almost cried."said Beverly...

"Man D.R. ,I can't believe somebody cloned my cell phone and put a bug in my apartment...So glad you found it." said Nelson...

"Yeah...Now look...Your Auntay is coming with the car around back...You two get in and take off..Keep a low pro....If your theory is correct Bev...You'll start getting phone calls and flowers any day now." I said.

"D.R. He pissed me off when we were in Dallas, but this is real low,even  for him, real low...It's all I can do not to strangle Larry North..." said Beverly.

"Try to control the urge...."I said and smiled at them both.

Olivia drove up just then...

"Hey guys, hop in...Put your bags in the trunk..." she said.   "Did everything work according to plan?" she said.

"Like clockwork Auntay....You are married to a very smart man." laughed Beverly...

''I know..." she said matter of factly and smiled at me...

"Okay...You guys get out of here ..I still have work to do." I said.

Olivia walked over to me and gave me the kiss of life..

"Honey, don't be uhh late for dinner."she said.

"Not on your life babes!" I said.

II-

I went back to my garage where Nelson's car was and I discovered a high powered GPS tracking device..It was underneath the hood.. This and the bug I found in Nelson's apartment and his cell phone was all the type of devices used by Private Investigators and law enforcement...In the next few days,The FBI, Homeland Security ,The DEA and The Philadelphia police asssured me that these devices didn't belong to them, but they pointed me in the direction of a number of spyware shops in the area where this stuff could have been purchased..

It took me another day of looking, but I located the shop.....

"Yeah man, that's my stuff...I sold it to a Private Investigator about three weeks ago." he said.

"I suppose I need a supoena to get that name eh?" I said duking him a couple of fifties...

"Are you kiddin me jack...Here's the bill of sale and the credit card receipt." he said smiling...

"You got a xerox machine and a scanner?" I asked..

''Sure do..right over there..."he said smiling...

III-

The Private Investigator's name was Alan Spade....I did my research on him...Ex cop...but of course...Fancied himself as a ladies man...I even located the car Beverly said she had seen...It was his! Which was why I had Olivia call him, tell him she was an attorney and offer to meet him at the Camden Aquarium...

He was there like clockwork....A tall ,well dressed Black man with a Panama hat and a White Linen shirt and White linen trousers...He saw Olivia and his eyes almost popped out of his head..

"HOLY MACKRELL...YOU'RE AN ATTORNEY??? WOW!" he said ,smiling...

Olivia smiled  and offered her hand...

"I'm attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander..."she said and then she pulled out a bag of electronic equipment...

"I believe this is yours isn't it?" she said and then showed him his credit card receipt and a copy of a bill of sales..

His eyes got as large as saucers.....He looked around...

"Are you a cop? Am I in trouble??" he asked.

"I'm an attorney....but my husband used to be a cop...Now...He's just like you....An Investigator!" she said smiling sweetly....

"Your Husband??" he said.

He turned and saw me standing there...

"I found these in the apartment of our client, Attorney Nelson East.." I said.

"Look,I don't want no trouble...I was paid to get information on him and to monitor his whereabouts and uh to listen to his phone calls...My client paid me and I was going to remove that stuff...but I uh see, you already did." he said.

"Who you workin for?" I asked.

"Come on man, you're a P.I. just like me..You know the deal." he said.

"Come on...As a professional courtesy TO ME....Who hired you? You've been paid already...Your job is over." cooed Olivia...

He grinned and looked at me...

"She's your wife ace?  And you work for her??  I don't blame you pal...She could have me eating out of her
hands...Heh ,Heh,heh...The guy that hired me is a lawyer,just like you...His name is North, Larry North..He hired me to shadow this other Attorney, Nelson East weeks ago and to give me updates on this guys movements and phone calls, especially to some woman named Beverly West...I think he was sweet on her or somethin and this guy was making time with her..She was a cute little number."he said.

"She's an attorney too." said Olivia.

"So you know her huh?" he said.

" I do indeed,..That cute little number is  my niece and my partner in my law firm..."said Olivia...

"Ohhhhhh...This is more than business I see....Well I'm sorry...It was nothin personal with me ...Just a job..."he said.

"I know....Look here's another $100.00 dollars for coming out here to meet with us... One other thing...You didn't slash his tires or have him towed did you?"I asked.

"Slash his car tires??Not on your life...Look I used to be a cop...I'm not into vandalism....I uh did know about the unpaid traffic ticket and I uh anonymously put in a call to a guy at the Philadelphia Parking Authority." he said.

"And they came after 10:00 pm? Isn't that a little strange?" I said.

"The guy was some guy this North fella was repping...His name was Payton...Leroy Payton. That was his connect.He told me to make sure I called his number and his number only."he said.

I gave him an extra $50.00.

"Thank you...You've been quite helpful." I said.

"That's it?" he said.

"That is it." I said.

IV-

The next day, I drove to the Philadelphia Parking Authority...Leroy Payton, better known Leroy "Love" Payton , an old flame of Beverly's who didn't bother to tell her that he was married or that he had multiple girlfriends....worked there....He was something of a floor manager ....

I looked into his record... He was going through a rather nasty divorce...His wife had proof of multiple infidelities..(.No surprise there )and had just given birth...He was being represented by Larry North...How surprising...They both had a romantic history with Bev so to speak...

I walked into the Philadelphia Parking Authority and asked his supervisor if I could speak with Payton in private...

Payton walked into the office and sat down....He didn't recognize me...

"Leroy "Love" Payton...How you doin man?" I said and smiled...

"You a cop?" he asked.

"I used to be....Guess it still shows huh? " I said.

"Yeah, you got cop written all over you." he said.

"Do you remember Beverly West?  I know you do....Cute little Lawyer you used to go out with...A girl with a fine body like hers...Perfect skin....You remember her." I said giving him the serious side eye and grinning...

He hung his head....He knew he was busted...

"I'm sorry about slashin those tires on that guys car she was seeing,I was paid to do it. I didn't have no beef with him...I don't even know the guy."he said.

"I didn't even ask you about that...but since you brought it up..." I said.

"Look...Look...I'm goin through a  costly divorce...My soon to be ex-wife has taken everything, My car, the house we bought together and she's gettin a huge child support settlement...I had to move in with my cousin here in Philly and take another job just to pay my lawyer and my other bills....Well..My lawyer and I got to talkin and we found out that we both used to date Beverly....He told me that Bev was datin some lightweight guy and that he needed me to do him a favor...I initially told him no...I aint got nothin against Bev...She was cool people...but he said he'd waive the rest of the money I owed him..." said Leroy..

"So you had a tow truck tow his car at an unauthorized hour and then sock him with all of those charges...right?? I can prove that what you did was against the law and if I tell your supervisors...You not only can lose your job, but you might face charges..." I said.

"Aww come on man, I was doin a favor to my lawyer...I did that and he waived the rest of my fee.I'm struggling here...Damn..I knew I shouldn't have agreed to this. Now I'm jammed up and he walks away scott free" he said.

"Okay,Okay,Okay...I don't have an axe to grind with you...I don't...But Mr. East is owed some money back..."I said.

"How much we talkin?" he said.

"Give me Three Hundred dollars and you'll never see me again and none of this will get back to your supervisor..."I said.

"That's it...??"he asked..

"That's it...and as for Mr. North...Oh he's going to get his ,especially when I tell the object of his affection what he did...He had a Private investigator watching her boyfriend and bugging his apartment."I said.

"Yeah ,he told me...He listened to all of their phone conversations...He was waiting to see if they went out on another date.. or if this guy East was cheating on Bev.. Turns out that he wasn't..But North had more fun stuff planned. I thought that what he was doin was kind of underhanded and I uh kinda lost respect for him...I mean, if he couldn't pull Bev straight up and honest, why go through all this..He laid out a lot of cash for this whole operation...Not something I would do.."said Leroy.

"Well his operation is over...I already got to the Private Investigator." I said.

He went in his wallet and peeled off six fifty dollar bills...

"Count it" he said.

"I trust you." I said.

"Heyyy,I know who you are now....You're Bev's Aunt's Boyfriend...You live upstairs from her and her Aunt. Your name is Donnie Ray...She used to call you D.R."he said.

"I'm Bev's Aunt's Husband now...We live upstairs from her..If you had of played your cards right...You'd have Bev all to yourself by now."I said.

He hung his head...

"Yeah, if I had played my cards right,I might have had a lot of good things in life.Like my wife and my son." he said.

V-

That night the girls and Nelson and I went up on Philly's South Street and dined at The South Street Diner..

We were all laughing and talking and enjoying cheese-steaks and huge steak fries and Cokes....

I put my arms around Olivia and squeezed her tight....She looked at me and blushed a little...Nelson,Beverly and Josie were staring at us...

"Yall are soo cute together."said Josie...

"Yeah, I tease them, but they are romantic" joked Beverly...

Olivia smiled...

"You two are romantic too." she said and then stared at Nelson, who took the hint...and put his arms around Beverly and hugged her...

She swooned...

"Ouuuu, now this ,I like." she said.

"See?" said Olivia...

They all laughed...

I shook my head...

"Anyway...You were right Bev...Larry North hired a private investigator to follow Nelson and monitor his phone calls...He cloned his cell phone..He knew everything you two were doing and talking about......He hired your old flame, Leroy Love to tow that car illegally and jack all of those fees on him and it was Leroy who slashed Nelson's tires two weeks later."I said.

"Ouuuu,I could just kill him."said Bev..

"Wait til I see him."said Nelson...

"You might want to hold up on that Nelson."I said and passed him an envelope with three hundred dollars in it.

"That's from Leroy Payton...It's the money you paid for the tow, the boot and the ticket..re-imbursed to you...Unfortunately...I couldn't get back the $400.00 for the new tires..."I said.

"That's okay...Thanks D.R."said Nelson...

"Larry North has already started making moves yall...Yesterday...A bouquet of red roses came for you and today he called .I told him you were in court Bev."said Josie...

"Wowzers....Bad news travels fast doesn't it?" said Olivia...

"Especially when you help manufacture the news.." said Beverly...

"Well, the private detective has been paid and he's out of your life now and you don't need to worry about Leroy Payton anymore...He's got problems of his own..."I said.

"Yeah, But Larry doesn't know that Nelson and I didn't really break up or that I know all about his scheme...Which gives me an idea.Auntay??...Do you still have Pakistani Sam's phone number?"asked Beverly.

Olivia started smiling...

"Ouuuuu girl,I know where this is going.." she said, smiling...

I looked at Nelson and Josie...

 "Ohhhh hell..."I said...Nelson and Josie busted out laughing...

"Oh and before I forget D.R. , Liv...I delivered that summons to Ralph Carter yesterday..." said Josie...

"I'm sure he didn't take it well."said my wife,Olivia..

"No...He sure didn't... I served him in Josies...He apparently was waiting for his band to show up and watching his watch....None of them showed up and he couldn't perform...."

"The crowd was booing...and then I handed him a court summons...He jumped up and down and started cursing...and Gus and his two bouncers, Eddie and Albert hauled him out of Josies ...He was just hysterical.....I was scared to leave after that, but Paris and Blake walked me to my car and made sure he stayed away from me..He's a straight nut."said Josie...

For the first time in awhile...I laughed loud and long....Just the thought of Ralph Carter getting some payback for his arrogance made me happier than I'd been in a long time..

The five of us ate and drank and laughed and talked well past midnight...I had so missed this kind of friendship and camraderie in New Orleans where I had been treated like a parriah...I was so glad I took a chance and moved up here and married Olivia.

She rubbed my arm softly and laid her head on my shoulder....

These were good times....I would always cherish these times!

(CONCLUSION NEXT)